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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "MR. JAMES MIKE" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <c.b.n.director@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2019 08:01:23 -0800
Subject: DEPARTMENT WESTERN UNION®


FOREIGN OPERATION TRANSFER OFFICE WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFERS.

United States, The (IMF) is compensating all the 2016,2017,2018 scam victims and your email address was found in the scam victims list. This Western Union®office has been mandated by the IMF to transfer your compensation to you via Western Union® Money Transfer.However, we have concluded to effect your own payment through Western Union®Money Transfer, $5000,00 pay Day until the total sum of($2.500`000`00USD) is completely transferred to you the receiver.We can not be able to send the payment with your email address alone, we are here by needed your information to where we will be sending the funds ASAP.

(Receivers name)............
(Country)...................... .
( Address)...................... ..........
(Phone Number).....................
(Your Age........................... .......
(ID copy)............. ..................

Note that your payment files will be returned to the IMF within 72hours if we did not hear from you because this was the instruction given to us by the IMF office here in Africa Nigeria We will start the transfer as soon as we received your information. You are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message for any reason what so ever because the US FBI is already on trace of the criminals from Africa.

Yours in Service
MR. JAMES MIKE
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT WESTERN UNION®
LAGOS, NIGERIA
CALL US @ +234(0)9073247028
western union International,always at your service.

Anti-fraud resources: